The Social Climb of Women 

Virginia Woolf is a well-known female author that wrote of how women should be held to the same standards as men of the time with regard to intellect and talent. One of her most famous works is Shakespeare's Sister, a novel explaining what would happen if Shakespeare had a sister that possessed the same artistic and intellectual strengths. She believes that if this were to occur then she would not have been taken as a successful part of the theater industry. Woolf wrote this originally for the women population at Oxford colleges. One can discern this from the abundant use of common women stereotypes and topics that most women find insulting and the statements of how men wish to be superior to women. The chapter headings from Trevelyan's History of England reveal that historians are concerned that only great women receive credit for their work while average women are continuously left unrecognized. Woolf not only wrote of the suffrage of women but she also brought forth new ideas to even the playing field for both men and women. She would suggest that women have equal access and requirements for education and the ability to be taken seriously in various fields that are male dominate. 

Another woman that was very outspoken on the rights and opportunities of women is Margaret Mead. Her most famous work is known as Sex and Temperament. In this essay she dissects the temperamental differences between men and women. Some of the temperamental traits associated with women are maternal, calm, and submissive. On the other hand, men are typically thought of as abrasive, strong, and easily angered. These assumptions can place certain restrictions on the roles of genders in society. This can cause society to lose the opportunity to learn better things from people of the opposite gender that may have abundant talents in that field, but, because of the assigned gender roles, they are not taken seriously enough to have their work come to light. The negative effects of gender expectations on the member of the opposite gender trying to cross over fields that are gender dominate can be extremely detrimental to the mental state of the individual. They can develop depression from the lack of being able to properly express their talents. Today the gender expectations has become more obsolete than in past years. However, society must be sure not to revert to primitive cultures' beliefs of gender assigned roles. If we revert back to this then there is no way to insure that everyone has equal opportunities.